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Numerical Simulation of Particle Retention Mechanisms at the Sub-Pore Scale

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Abstract

The evolution of pore structure caused by particle retention is a function of heterogeneity and nonlinear coupling of particle transport and fluid flow. Pore-scale modelling enables us to elucidate the role of various mechanisms controlling particle transport and deposition. This study incorporated the Eulerian–Lagrangian approach to investigate the spatial and temporal deposition of particles using a benchmark data set for an artificial column made of glass beads for validation. The velocity field and trajectory of particles were determined by solving the Navier–Stokes and momentum balance equations. When the mean diameter of particles is smaller than the image voxel size, several particles are required to occupy a pore voxel. Particles with low velocity that cannot escape from the adhesion forces of surfaces are considered as deposited. The solid volume fraction of pore voxels adjacent to solid voxels changes dynamically through particle deposition. The role of surface deposition and clogging mechanisms during various experimental simulation scenarios was analysed using an image-based technique. Mean injection velocity, particle size, surface adhesion forces, and surface roughness are considered as sensitivity parameters. The results show that the clogging mechanism was responsible for the structure permeability impairment rather than the surface deposition, when particle size and surface adhesion forces increased. However, the clogging mechanism did not affect permeability when surface roughness increased. Particle retention shows a maximum value around a critical velocity where the spatial particle retention switched from filter cake development to homogenous retention.

Article Highlights

  • A new CFD-based Eulerian–Lagrangian model for particle transport and retention at the pore scale is introduced.

  • The model can predict porosity/permeability changes of micro-CT scans of a filtration column experiment.

  • Injection velocity, particle size, surface adhesion forces, and roughness are sensitivity parameters.

  • The role of surface deposition and clogging effect are quantified using an image-based technique.

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Acknowledgements

The first author (S.S.) gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for visiting the Johannes Gutenberg University at Mainz, Germany. The authors also thank Dr C. Chen for providing more detailed information about the experimental results on the validation section, and Drs. A. Jacob and C. Hinz from Math2Market Co. for discussion on how to use python codes within the GeoDict environment. We also thank the anonymous reviewers for their careful reading and their many insightful comments and suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

    Saeid Sadeghnejad

  2. Institute of Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55099, Mainz, Germany

    Saeid Sadeghnejad, Frieder Enzmann & Michael Kersten

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  1. Saeid Sadeghnejad
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  2. Frieder Enzmann
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Correspondence to Saeid Sadeghnejad.

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Sadeghnejad, S., Enzmann, F. & Kersten, M. Numerical Simulation of Particle Retention Mechanisms at the Sub-Pore Scale. Transp Porous Med 145, 127–151 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-022-01843-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-022-01843-y

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